Amazon isn’t waiting for holiday chaos to kick in. The company recently sent a rare global warning to hundreds of millions of customers, urging them to be on high alert for a rising wave of impersonation scams targeting shoppers ahead of peak season.

The email went out to over 300 million users on November 24 and focused on one thing: scammers posing as Amazon to grab access to sensitive information like personal or financial information, or Amazon account details.

And with Amazon now valued at more than $2.42 trillion, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The tech giant’s massive scale, with millions of items sold every week, has always made it a magnet for scammers, but the company’s reputation for easy returns and reliable delivery also means people tend to let their guard down.

This new warning makes one thing clear: now is not the time to do that.

Amazon outlined the main tactics scammers are using right now. None of them is new, but they’re getting more sophisticated and more frequent.

The red flags Amazon wants customers to watch for

According to the alert, scammers are targeting users through multiple channels: fake account emails, fraudulent delivery notices via text or email, suspicious clickable links, counterfeit deal pages, and unsolicited phone calls claiming to be Amazon tech support. Amazon emphasized it never asks for sensitive account or payment details via email or text.

What Amazon says customers should do

The company kept its advice simple: two clear steps that cut out most risks:

1. Shop only via Amazon’s official app or website. That alone removes the majority of scam entry points.

2. Enable two-factor authentication or set up a passkey. A stolen password is useless if the attacker can’t pass the second check.

Both measures are already built into Amazon accounts, but many shoppers never turn them on — which is exactly what scammers rely on.

Why the warning matters now

Holiday months bring the highest sales volume of the year, but also the highest scam volume: more packages, more emails, more rushed purchases, and more opportunities for criminals to blend in.

And while Bank of America data shows households still have more deposits than they did pre-2020, shoppers are cautious, stretched, and increasingly targeted. A record number of Americans will be shopping online this season. Amazon’s warning is a push to keep that massive audience safe.

If the message wasn’t clear enough: This is the moment to slow down, check the sender, and never, ever, click an Amazon link you didn’t go looking for.

Sources: Forbes, Newsweek, Men’s Journal

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